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Flight recorder data links Ethiopian, Lion Air MAX 8 crashes
A preliminary analysis of data from Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders provides the strongest evidence yet linking the accident sequence to the October 2018 crash of Lion Air flight JT610.
“Our experts and US experts have proven the accuracy of the information,” Ethiopian Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges said in a statement March 17.
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Substitute for Boeing Max? Russian MC-21 passenger jet to debut at MAKS 2019 Air Show
The public debut of the Russian Irkut MC-21-300 with a passenger interior is scheduled for this year’s Moscow International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS 2019), which runs from August 27 to September 1.
The presentation will “visually demonstrate to potential customers and future passengers one of the most important competitive advantages of the Russian airliner – an increased level of comfort,” Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said as cited by the plane’s producer, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
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IATA WCS19: Freighters still relevant as capacity grows
The role of dedicated freighters in the airline industry is still relevant and growing, even as the air cargo sector faces some headwind and overcapacity.
According to IATA chief economist Bryan Pence, the freight traffic, measured in FTKs has not grown over the last 12 months, factoring seasonal adjustments.
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Embraer sees imminent sales announcements in Mideast and Africa
Embraer anticipates announcing progress in sales of its E2 range of regional jets to Middle East airlines “within a month or two,” according to its general manager, special projects, Middle East and Africa. Hussein Dabbas said that sales and requests for proposals for regional jets were expected imminently. While he was unable to name the airlines concerned, ATW understands that these are likely to be in North Africa.
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EDITORIAL: China called it first
Whatever is ultimately concluded about the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crashes, the response to the second accident was an aviation regulatory gamechanger.
Typically, the US—and FAA in particular—is the global leader when it comes to major safety decisions, such as issuing an emergency grounding order. That is especially true where a US-made and certified aircraft is involved.
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PICTURES: Third test MC-21 lifts off on maiden flight
Russian airframer Irkut has commenced flight-testing with a third MC-21-300, which lifted off from its Irkutsk assembly centre on 16 March.
Aircraft MC0004, bearing the number 73054, conducted a 1h 30min maiden flight, says the manufacturer, reaching an altitude of 3,500m and speeds of around 240kt.
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ANALYSIS: How the industry has reacted to the Ethiopian Max crash
At first, only China and a few smaller carriers grounded their Boeing 737 Max fleets in the response to the 10 March crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, in which 157 people were killed.
While Chinese carriers had a combined fleet of 97 aircraft, that could still, just, be ignored – put it down to politics, maybe – but then over the coming days, a steady drip became a trickle, which became a torrent, as regulators across the globe ordered the 737 Max grounded.
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Helicopters lift Leonardo's 2018 results
Increased sales at Leonardo's helicopter division and its electronics, defence and security systems business were the main drivers behind a 4.3% rise in the Italian aerospace group's revenue in 2018, to €12.2 billion ($13.8 billion).
The manufacturer says it delivered 177 rotorcraft during the year ended 31 December – up from 149 units in 2017 – while the division's order intake doubled to €6.21 billion.
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Pilots warn on technology risk while chiding speculators
French cockpit crew representatives have highlighted the potential risks posed by increasingly advanced technology, while simultaneously urging restraint over speculation regarding the Boeing 737 Max accident in Ethiopia.
The caution emerged as French investigation authority BEA, supported by Ethiopian counterparts, formally commenced technical work on the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders from the aircraft, which were delivered to its facility in Paris on 14 March.
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NTSB to help analyse crashed 737 Max's flight data
The National Transportation Safety Board is dispatching investigators to France where they will assist with analyses of data recovered from the recently crashed Boeing 737 Max 8's flight recorders.
"The NTSB investigators have expertise in recorders, flight crew operations and human factors," says the NTSB.
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Boeing stops 737 Max deliveries in wake of grounding
Boeing has halted deliveries of Boeing 737 Max in response to the global grounding of the aircraft, the company says.
"Boeing has paused delivery of 737 Max airplanes due to the temporary grounding," says Boeing in a statement. "We continue to build 737 Max airplanes, while assessing how the situation, including potential capacity constraints, will impact our production system."
LinkAirlines
Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air reconsider Boeing 737 MAX orders
Garuda Indonesia and LCC Lion Air are reconsidering Boeing 737 MAX orders following the Ethiopian Airlines ET302 crash March 10 that killed 157 people soon after takeoff from Addis Ababa, and the worldwide grounding of the type.
The Indonesia transport safety committee (KNKT) will also hasten the release the accident report for Lion Air flight JT610, a Boeing 737 MAX that crashed into the Java Sea Oct. 29, 2018.
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Ryanair to rebrand Polish airline as ‘Buzz’
Irish LCC Ryanair has announced plans to rename Polish leisure carrier Ryanair Sun as “Buzz,” reviving the name of the LCC that it acquired from KLM in 2003. Ryanair Sun secured its Polish air operator’s certificate (AOC) in early 2018 and launched charter flights in summer 2018, with a fleet of five Boeing 737s. Since then, Ryanair Sun has grown to 17 aircraft.
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European airlines seek replacements for grounded MAXs
European airlines, looking to shore up schedules, are scrambling to find replacements for their grounded Boeing 737 MAXs. The worldwide groundings followed the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 near Addis Ababa. LOT Polish Airlines, which has five MAX 8s and another seven on order, will wet-lease Boeing 737-800 fleet from Slovakia-based ACMI specialist Go2Sky. The aircraft have an all-economy, 189-seat capacity; Go2Sky is also providing six crews.
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Wizz Air launches Airbus A321neo operations
Wizz Air has begun scheduled Airbus A321neo operations March 15 from Budapest (Hungary) to London Luton (UK).
The Central and Eastern European LCC took delivery March 7 of the first of 184 Airbus A321neos it has on order. The new aircraft was the first of 256 A321neos and A320neos Wizz Air will take delivery of over the next seven years.
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Aigle Azur presses on with long-haul growth plans
French leisure airline Aigle Azur will make changes in its operations to and from China and Brazil as it continues with long-haul expansion plans, while maintaining services to its established European and African destinations.
Beijing service, which the carrier began last year, will be reorganized from May to improve connections with partner Hainan Airlines’ network, resulting in a temporary suspension of Paris-Beijing flights while awaiting approval for new slots from Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
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Qatar Airways to acquire another airline equity stake this year
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker plans to acquire another airline equity stake in 2019 and—separately—has voiced interest in setting up an Indian domestic airline and expanding Qatar Airways’ African network. Responding to a question from ATW at the Aviation Africa Summit in Kigali, Al Baker said Qatar Airways plans to make another airline investment before the end of 2019. He declined to specify the target region or give any further details.
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Flyadeal to keep A320s despite MAX order
Saudi Arabian LCC flyadeal intends to keep its existing fleet of Airbus A320ceos in operation despite its order for Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, the carrier’s CEO said at this week’s Saudi Airshow in Riyadh.
Flyadeal signed for 30 MAX 8 plus 20 options in December 2018; first deliveries are not scheduled until 2023 and the Jeddah-based operator plans to look for leased MAXs this year and next while awaiting its own aircraft.
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Analysts: TUI 737 MAX 8 grounding costs $3.4 million per week
Hanover, Germany-based TUI Group's grounding of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet will cost the company about €3 million ($3.4 million) per week, European analysts say.
TUI spokesperson Aage Duenhaupt told ATW the numbers were presented by analysts and he did not want to comment directly. “However, these numbers are not that wrong,” he said.
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Saudi Arabian Airlines evaluates widebody order
Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) CEO Jaan Albrecht told ATW the carrier is evaluating a major widebody order within the next six months—which could be either an Airbus A350 or Boeing 787—and is considering new long-haul routes to North America.
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Atlas 767 crash probe strives to comprehend pitch upset
US investigators probing the Atlas Air Boeing 767-300 freighter crash have yet to explain fully the initiating circumstances behind the elevator deflection which pushed the aircraft into a fatal dive on approach to Houston.
Crucially the National Transportation Safety Board has shifted its immediate emphasis, through the unusual decision to amend its phrasing while detailing preliminary findings.
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Avianca cancels 17 A320neo family aircraft, defers 35
Colombia's Avianca has cancelled deliveries of 17 Airbus A320neo family aircraft from a 100-aircraft order signed in 2015, and rescheduled deliveries of another 35 jets.
The fleet changes will reduce Avianca's fleet capital expenditure needs by more than $350 million over the next three years, says the Star Alliance carrier. Financial commitments from 2020 to 2022 will also reduce by more than $2.6 billion.
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American suspends service to Venezuela
American Airlines has temporarily suspended its service to Venezuela, after its pilot union urged American pilots to turn down flight assignments to the crisis-ridden country.
Service to both Caracas and Maracaibo has been temporarily suspended, says the Oneworld carrier.
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PICTURES: EgyptAir’s first 787 flies
The first Boeing 787-9 destined for EgyptAir has completed its maiden flight from Boeing’s Everett facility, as it is prepared for delivery.
The aircraft is one of six Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered Dreamliners that the Egyptian flag carrier is taking on lease from AerCap, according to Cirium’s Fleets Analyzer database.
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Passenger has nose bitten off during fight on Ryanair flight to Tenerife
An unnamed holidaymaker was on a Ryanair flight from Glasgow Prestwick to Tenerife South yesterday when the violence broke out onboard.
The man proceeded to film the ensuing fight that spilled into the cabin between fellow passengers.
LinkAirports
Stobart to take over management of Durham Tees Valley airport
Stobart is to take over the management of UK regional airport Durham Tees Valley under a 10-year joint venture agreement with the local authority that owns the facility.
Durham mayor Ben Houchen states that the logistics group has been tasked with delivering a "rescue plan" under which passenger numbers will need to reach 1.4 million per annum and a low-cost carrier must be secured by 2022.
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APG-QIC Consortium to acquire 36% stake in Brussels Airport
Pension investor APG, in partnership with alternatives fund manager QIC, has agreed to acquire a 36% interest in Brussels Airport.
The APG-QIC jointly led consortium further comprises of Swiss Life, and upon completion, APG and QIC will both have a stake of 16.8% in Belgium's capital city gateway.
Closing of the transaction is expected to take place over the coming months and is subject to approval by the regulator.
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Passenger traffic up and Cargo down at Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport handled 5.89 million passengers and 32,430 flight movements in February, marking year-on-year increases of 1.1% and 0.3%, respectively.
However, cargo throughput decreased by 14.4% to 274,000 tonnes due to unfavourable macro-economic conditions.
The totals mean that 12.4 million passengers (+3.6%) and 676,000 tonnes of cargo (-8.6%) passed through the gateway on 68,960 flights (0.9%), in the first two months of 2019.
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Kansas City to break ground on new $1.5 billion terminal
Kansas City International Airport has announced that it will break ground on its new $1.5 billion terminal on March 25.
The project will transform and modernise the current three-terminal layout, which has remained largely unchanged since it opened in 1972, despite nearly tripling its passenger traffic.
It is the largest infrastructure project in Kansas City's history.
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Lyon Airports to welcome new robotic car parking service
Parking at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport in the near future? You might not be, but a robot called Stan instead hoped to increase passenger experience and reduce environmental impact.
For the first time in the world, Stanley Robotics’ outdoor automated robotic valet system, developed in partnership with Aéroports de Lyon, will be offered on a large scale to airport passengers in the coming weeks: 500 spaces will soon be available in car park P5+ at Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport, with four autonomous robots operating simultaneously and 12 cabins to accommodate and return vehicles.
LinkMilitary
US Air Force takes first Block 30 AC-130J Ghostrider gunship
The US Air Force’s (USAF) 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida took delivery of the first Block 30 AC-130J Ghostrider gunship on 6 March.
The Block 30 AC-130J Ghostrider gunship is to replace the AC-130U Spooky gunship, which is slowly being retired from active duty after more than 20 years of operation.
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Lockheed Martin names new head of fighter aircraft group
Lockheed Martin named Bridget Lauderdale as incoming vice-president and general manager for its integrated fighter group, the part of the company responsible for development, manufacturing and sustaining F-16 and F-22 aircraft.
Lauderdale will assume her new role on 15 April, replacing Roderick McLean, who will become the vice-president and general manager of the firm’s air mobility and maritime missions group, which is responsible for the C-130, LM
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Leonardo targets role on UK's Tempest next-gen fighter
Leonardo is hopeful that Italy can join the UK's Tempest sixth-generation fighter programme, building on the involvement of its defence electronics division in the effort.
Although the company is headquartered in Rome, it has a large presence in the UK, including the former Selex operation.
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Aviation Quote
I don't think JetBlue has a better chance of being profitable than 100 other predecessors with new airplanes, new employees, low fares, all touchy-feely ... all of them are losers. Most of these guys are smoking ragweed.
- Gordon Bethune, Continental Airlines CEO, Time magazine, June 2002.
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. The Douglas DC-3 has been known as the Gooney Bird, Old Methuselah, the Dizzy Three, the Placid Plodder, and other nicknames. It also has been called the Dakota (primarily by the British). What is the origin of that name?
2. True or False; The Wright brothers made their first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903.
3. The Lomcevak, which loosely translated from Czechoslovakian means headache or hangover, is an aerobatic maneuver during which the airplane tumbles head over heels about the pitch (lateral) axis while moving in a lateral direction. How does a pilot execute such a maneuver?
4. How many beds are aboard a Boeing 747 built to be used as Air Force One?
5. The first airplane used by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the 3600th Air Demonstration Unit, was the
1. F-84F Thunderstreak.
2. F-84G Thunderjet.
3. F-86 Sabre.
4. F-100 Super Sabre.
6. Where did the first air traffic controller work, and how did he control traffic?
